Lily Holbrook

Lily Holbrook came into the world in Boston and enrolled in music and art courses at a nearby art college toward the close of the 1990s, though live performance ultimately claimed her focus. Outside class hours she regularly performed as a busker in the city’s subway corridors. Though initially reserved and tentative in front of listeners, she drew repeated words of encouragement from passersby. Additional locations for these sets included Newbury Street, Quincy Market, and Harvard Square. The steady street work gradually strengthened her poise and opened doors to club dates across Boston, among them The Middle East and TT The Bears. A modest yet devoted local audience formed around her, prompting Mary Lou Lord to hail her as a standout talent. Holbrook also appeared on the bill of the Women’s Independent Music Show in Boston. She entered the studio in 1999 to record her debut album. In 2000 she issued Running From The Sky, an album she dedicated to Christopher Holbrook. Her melancholic tone and folk-rock approach have frequently invited comparisons to Jewel.